The Minister of Public Works and Transport in the Lebanese caretaker government, Ali Hamiyeh, denied the news published by the British newspaper The Telegraph regarding the presence of weapons and missiles at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut and announced the filing of a lawsuit against the newspaper.

Hamiyah confirmed in a press conference from the airport this evening that the airport employees are not concerned with opening the boxes that arrive, but rather the first concerned with opening all the boxes at the airport is the customs and airport security services, hoping that the newspaper would review the British Ministry of Transport, which had visited the airport on the field on January 22, 2024. .

He pointed out that the airport is subject to Israeli violations, including interference.

He called on "the media, ambassadors and their representatives to conduct a field visit to all airport facilities tomorrow and there is nothing to hide," stressing that threats against the airport have existed for a long time.

He said, "We are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the newspaper, and we will announce its details later," noting that "the article issued by it seeks to tarnish the reputation of Rafic Hariri International Airport."

In turn, Airport President Fadi Al-Hassan confirmed that the airlines operating to and from Beirut Airport are among the most important companies in the world and they periodically conduct audits about the security and safety of the airport, and if they have doubts about not respecting the standards, they will not hesitate to stop flights.

Earlier today, the Federation of Air Transport Unions in Lebanon denied in a statement the presence of weapons and missiles at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, considering what was reported by the British newspaper The Telegraph merely “lies.”

The Union said, "The Telegraph newspaper informed us of the presence of weapons and missiles at Beirut Airport without providing any evidence or proof."

The statement added that what the newspaper reported were “mere deceptions and lies aimed at endangering Beirut Airport and its workers, who are all civilians, as well as those transiting to and from it, all of whom are also civilians.”

The Telegraph newspaper claimed today, quoting what it said were airport workers, that the Lebanese Hezbollah is storing huge quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles and explosives at Beirut Airport.

According to the newspaper, the inventory includes Iranian “Falaq” missiles, short-range “Fateh-110” missiles, ballistic missiles, and “M600” missiles with a range of 150 to 200 miles.

It added that "Kornet" laser-guided anti-tank missiles, huge quantities of short-range "Burkan" missiles, and explosives are also stored.

The frequency of mutual threats between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel has increased recently due to the escalation in the intensity of the confrontations between them.

Since last October 8, against the backdrop of the Gaza War, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed military confrontations and escalating hostilities between Hezbollah and Lebanese and Palestinian organizations on the one hand and the Israeli army on the other, which left hundreds dead and wounded and thousands of civilians displaced from both sides of the border amid international fears of escalating confrontations. To a wide war.